How to Sell Your Very Own Artist Merch: Best Practices + More

Artist merch can be one of the most fun and profitable ways to get your name out there! You can sell merch online, at shows, at record stores and more.

It may seem difficult to get started with selling your very own band, label or artist merchandise, but we break down the basics for you below to help you get started with selling your merch!

Here are best practices for selling your very own artist merch and more.

First, make sure there’s a demand.

This may seem quite simple, but it’s often overlooked. If you don’t have a solid fanbase yet, then you could be left with a bunch of t-shirts that you have nothing to do with! Make a few posts on social media and see if there is any interest for merch. If you are left with some extras it’s never a bad idea to do a creative giveaway!

Figure out how much you should make.

Once you confirm a general demand for any merch, you should then be reasonable with the number of pieces you’re going to sell. It’s always a good idea to do a very limited run to gauge interest for the future. The last thing you want to do is make too many. However, it is important to include at least (1) piece of every size so that fans will be able to purchase their preferred size. From your initial drop, you can figure out what sold best and make it work in the future.

Decide what items you’re going to sell.

This one will require some research. If most of your fanbase is located in Florida, then it won’t make sense to create 100 sweatshirts. On the contrary, if you’re touring during the winter time, then you probably won’t be selling a lot of tank tops. Look into the demographics of your fan base and where you’ll be touring during the time of sale, and figure out what’s right for you.

Set up your merch correctly.

The last thing someone wants is a piece of merch from a messy and disorganized merch table. Invest in a solid fold-up table, hire experienced merch reps and get to selling! Agree to meet fans and sign t-shirts, and hang out near your merch after the show to get fans engaged. Another good tip is to find somewhere to hang the merch so fans can easily see what they’re buying.

Do your research!

Make sure you look into merch companies and do enough research to make sure that items are high quality, the company is responsive and the merchandise will come in time. Check out some merch options here. Good luck!

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